Finale
by Star of Heaven
Summary: Mondo has one last chance for redemption, and he needs Hamilton to make a promise.


_Finale_

Disclaimer: I don't own SaGa Frontier. It is owned by Square-Enix (formally known as Squaresoft.) Anyway, this fic takes place immediately after the defeat of Mondo in Lute's game. Enjoy!

* * *

The military base was unstable. With the destruction of Mondo's great weapon, all of the other robots and functions of the base had gone haywire. There were explosions and fires everywhere, and none of the elevators were operational. 

Hamilton steadied her gun and peered cautiously beyond the wall. She wasn't afraid of encountering another human enemy; Mondo was extremely untrusting of others, but crazed robots were much more dangerous than armed humans.

Where were the others? After the battle, they had been separated in the confusion. Hamilton hoped they were all right. She did feel guilty about getting Lute involved in such a mess so soon after he had learned the truth.

Hamilton heard a painful moan behind her. She quickly turned around and aimed her gun. From the rubble of machinery Mondo was slowly attempting to get free. "You're still alive?" she exclaimed.

Mondo was just barely alive. His whole body was soaked in blood, especially his face. His body was disfigured to the point of almost being unrecognizable. His left arm was twisted in a way that no arm should have been, and he had so many wounds that they all appeared to be one. He looked up at Hamilton and forced a smirk, making this face appear more perverse. "Power is a great thing, but it can be worse than death if misused," he explained. "You didn't know that either?"

"Power corrupts people," Hamilton countered. "It shouldn't be monopolized by just a few people!"

Mondo's smirk became more twisted. "Of course not," he said with a hint of malice in his voice. "No one ever wants to suffer like this." He moved his body so that he could reach down into the pile of ruined machinery with his less injured arm. With an immense and painful effort, he then yanked back, as if he was trying to pull something or someone free.

"Lute!" Hamilton's eyes widened as she watched Mondo haul Lute's unconscious body out of the wrecked machines. He was in slightly better condition than Mondo, but he still needed medical attention.

"He looks just like his father," Mondo remarked, mostly to himself. "He's naïve, but I think he has in him to change Trinity for the better." He began coughing violently, and he turned his face away to avoid getting blood on Lute.

"You want Lute to take over your position?" Hamilton asked, surprise now in her voice instead of fear.

"Yes," Mondo said softly. "Promise me you'll tell him that."

"I will," Hamilton promised. She gently released the rest of Lute's body from the trap that had consumed Mondo. Lute's head fell limply on her shoulder as she wrapped her free arm around his back.

"Captain, Lute, where are you?" came Gen's voice, filled with fanatic worry. He sounded nearby.

Mondo's smile grew more sincere, but it still retained some mockery. "Your friends are waiting. If you don't get Lute to a hospital soon, he'll die."

Hamilton returned Mondo's smile and then aimed her gun at his head. "May your soul find peace," she prayed. She pulled back the trigger, and Mondo's pain seemed to vanish as he felt peaceful for the first time in his life.

º º º

It took nearly a week for Lute to fully recover. When he finally regained consciousness, he revealed how Mondo had shielded him during all that destruction. Lute had been knocked out before he could have seen what that protection had cost Mondo.

Hamilton finally convinced Lute that Mondo had really wanted him to take over Trinity. At first she was worried that he might be easily manipulated, but those fears were put to rest when she saw that he was a natural-born leader, free of corruption. His first order of business had been the removal of Mondo's military base and the complete restoration of Wakatu.

Lute harbored no ill feelings toward Mondo, and Hamilton was beginning to understand why. Everyone had a bit of goodness, and protecting Lute had been Mondo's way of redeeming himself. Mondo couldn't be forgiven for all of the horrible sins he had committed in his lifetime, but Hamilton still hoped that his sacrifice for Lute had helped him find a little bit of peace.

END


End file.
